The school year has started and now it's time to buckle down. I need to come clean about a couple things, but I'm going to take it one confession at a time. As I am a writer, procrastination is my best friend. My productivity attitude is at "hustle & slow" which isn't quite ideal. Cutting distractions and becoming more focused can prove to be difficult, especially in a city like Tallahassee.

Viktor Frankl said that when a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure. Though I'm finding in my time in Tallahassee that pleasure can mean a plentiful of things, none of which are positive, we need to stop distracting ourselves with things and people that have nothing to do with our goals.

So to eliminate the distractions, I've learned to just cut myself off. I purposely don't put gas in my car to not have the opportunity to be able to go out. In Tallahassee there's something to do every night of the week. For example, on Mondays it's Clyde's, Wednesday it's Top Flite, and Friday's there's The Moon or Collisuem, all which are a great time (depending on your age group). It's seriously intoxicating, especially if you've been a homebody by force all your life. So now with my new found freedom, I still force myself to be a homebody.

With classes starting, we all need to buckle down. Don't let the behaviors of others destroy your inner peace. One thing that helps me stay focused would be meditating in blocks of time. I usually will set an alarm for about 20-45 minutes and work until the time goes off. During the blocked period of time, I don't allow myself to let my mind wander on the nights' festivities or stop and get a snack. You'll be surprised at the amount of work you will get done with no interruptions.

As college students, we easily become distracted by material things, forgetting that our true mission in life is spiritual; and bigger than you and me.When we become so busy loving ourselves, others, and our lives you'll find that you have no time for distraction. Abraham Hicks stated that the distraction from the absence of what you want will you give what you want.

What I'm trying to say is, don't allow this city to change who you've always known yourself to be. Allow this city to let you grow into the person, you've always known you could be.